Variable frequency vibrator



Sept. 5, 1950 N. OHMAN ET AL VARIABLE FREQUENCY VIBRATQR Filed June 15, 1946 INVENTOR. was OHMA/V 194K010 AF/W767,

Patented Sept. 5, 1950 1 2,521,401." EREQUENCY"VIBRATOR Nils ()l manvNewzYork, and-Harold 'J. Veritch,

Brooklyn N; Y .,-.a ssignors .to. Interval .Ins trunents, Ina, NewlXork, N. Y., a corporation of with; which ..the frequencyvmay, be maintained. 5 The invention accordingly comprisesan article Many such bodies have-a very-high g. that is they ofmanufacture possessing the features, proper.- require very little: Dower. to maintain them 5111 vitiesand; the relationwof elements which :will. be bration,.anol the frequencyof response is a very exemplified in the article hereinafterdescribed sharp. one, such that even. a .very, slight ichange and the scope of the. application of which will be in the energizing frequency either above orybeindicated in the claims. low thecritical,.frequenpypfthabody willeause :;For a f-uller understanding: of .the;nature.and a very marked falling;:oifinmespomseby that objects of the invention, referenceshould be .had bod-y...lt. is. this factor which: hasmademeehan- 12 the following detailed'desoription takenxin ical] vibrators of value' as.frequencyfindicators.. connection with the, accompanying drawing, in At the .sametime s s. -thi am r c or-which 15 h ch: a l. I normally limits,suchalfrequency indicatorto a Figure 1 is a variable frequencylreedzmade in 1 accordance with this inventioni Many proposals have been made to alterthe Figures zand 3 are sections on the lines ,IIa-II anical. :body. and III-e111. in Fiaure 1.

ting string, Figure l is a .sideelevationoiya speedimeasun he length ingiinstrurnent involving this invention.

be: 3if=Vl- Figure 5 is an end View of thesdevicewshown bratin e d. i maa be a d b a yins the nf'ieure 4- l ents; how- .jFigure .dlis afrequency meter embodying the ,bringiqthe invention. ncy. {Within its broad-scope therefore, the device of It; anobject o this finyention..gtoop rovi de.a this invention comprises a (reed. capable of videviceof thecharacterdescribedwhich will;- rebratin uina plurality of different planes l about spondto every. frequencywithin a predetermined the axis,- and,;haying a. diiierent natural frequenscalajrange, but in whicheaclr response will be cy of vibrationin each plane; as for example if characteristic of itsownflfrequency sothat of all I the reed. has. a. diiferentratiobetween its weight the frequencies to which'thedevicecan' respond, its; length and its; elasticz factors in different the particular frequency towhichit isresponde pianes.. -Su ch.a result-will follow if the reed has l ingv may be readily .determined .by' inspection of. a diiferent moment :of inertia of its, cross section r relative to the different planes, .or if the reed be In accordance with thisinventiom therefore, constrictedto greatly decrease its cross-sectional there is provideda,reedwhich has .diiferent natmoment of inertia indifferent-planes at different ural frequencies...in. different angular; positions given points in the length of reed. around its axis. ,The frequency of vibration gradmanner there is provided what may be regarded ually increases as...the.plane of,vibration rotates as elastic hinges aboutwhich the remainderof aboutthe axis. Thus fo r;.any.specifieuplane @of thereed-ma-y vibrate, one ofsaid hinges-being vibration there is a definite sharply defined frespaced farther fromthe end than the other. quency so thatthe frequency.of-vibration may Such a construction; provides .aireed that has be determinedbytheangular. position of the twoor more separate and distinctnaturalperiods plane of. vibration. i' I l iis.may -readi l y be accomof vibration, and. once the instrumentis caliplished by flattening a. portion 0f. the reed adbrated one may immediately see. what frequency jacent, to its base andtwisting the flattened porthe. reed is in fact responding to, by noting the tion into aspiral. sothattheouter edges thereof angularity of the plane of vibration. form helices. .Thusinanyplttne of ,vibrationin- Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention cluding. the axis (of the...r ee d,.ithe. reed will be herein chosen for illustration, a vibrator having rigid except about an'axis where theflattened anv infinitenumber-of said pinched places or cross section its transverseto the plane of vihinges merginginto one-another as acontinuous bration. About "that ax s, point theresistance. to surfaceis used... v l l bending. will besoren arkablyless than about .In.th .drawings,- the numeral ;I.B"represents a "Application June 15, 1946; seminarians;

' fitnlaimsgl (01.1725245) 1 I .hi.sflinventiozi r at rtoevar able f .e.q e y vibrators. 3

Mechanical. bodies have lens been used.- as standards of frequency-because of g-the. accuracy single. frequency.

na ura r qu nc o sumame E01: .e a im 'ev i such abody bea th io may ewariedbys ar orl the tension .or thewleiglrt. Or

thickness or the length Such adjus device .into harmony, iththefre that characteristic.

ny oth r asisi hatxthataxls.wiuiserve Jsub'stam was a hingeabout which-thereed will. 1 vi-1 bratetwhenever the incitingforce has a frequency corresponding tothe frequency of thereed .vibrating in that plane.

In such a base in which is'rigidly mounted a reed i l,..wl iich for a portion of its length near the base, for example between the points 12 and I3, is flattened and twisted through an angle, for example through an angle of 90. The remainder of the reed may be left in its natural contour. With this construction, every line through the fiattened portion lying between the points I2 and 13 which is transverse to the axis of the reed is in a different plane and hence is at a different distance from the free end of the reed and hence corresponds to a different natural frequency of vibration. It is also at a different angle from every other such line, so it represents not only a characteristic frequency, but also a characteristic angle.

With such an instrument, if it be subjected to a gradually increasing frequency of excitation from any source symmetrically disposed about the axis, starting at a frequency below the lower limit of the device, the time will come when the reed will start vibrating about a section near the point I2 as a hinge, and when viewed as shown in Figure 1 will thus vibrate in the plane of the paper. As the frequency continues to rise, the hinge line will move to the right, toward the free end of the reed, finally reaching a section near the point l3. At such time, as illustrated, the reed will be vibrating in a plane transverse to the paper. At every intermediate frequency a definite intermediate angle will be used.

Thus by noting the angle of the plane of vibration of the reed, it is possible to read the frequency with considerable accuracy. When such an instrument is excited by an unknown frequency within its scope, the frequency of the excitation can be read at once.

The construction shown in Figure 4 is designed to measure the speed of rotation of a mechanical device such as a shaft. In such case, the reed may be supported in a flexible diaphragm 2! carried by a protecting shell 22. The helical flattened portion of the reed extends between points 23 and 24. A finger 25 extends outwardly from the shell 22 on the side opposite to the reed 20, and carries at its end a ball 26 adapted to fit within a slightly eccentric opening 27 in the end of the shaft 28.

With such a construction, the rotation of the shaft and the resultant eccentric motion of the ball 26 will set the reed in vibration about that particular axis which corresponds in frequency to the rotational speed of the shaft 23. This axis can be determined by inspecting the angularity of the plane of vibration.

For the purpose of facilitating the reading of the angle, the end of the walls of the shell may be graduated and preferably the graduations may extend inwardly as shown at 58 over a plastic transparent cover 3|.

In Figure 4 is shown the application of a weight 30 held by a set screw 31. The effect of such a weight is to slow down the vibrations of the reed and thus to change the scale range of the instrument. It will be understood that such a weight may be employed if desired to form either of the other two modifications here shown.

I have described the flattened portion of the reed as twisted through an angle of 90, but it will be understood that it may be twisted through a greater or less angle as desired, as for example 170. It is, however, desirable that the flattened and twisted portions shall be less than 180 in order to avoid having two hinges corresponding to two separate frequencies within the same plane of vibration.

time 3" +1 In the construction shown in Figure 6, there is mounted upon a base 4|] a flexible rod 4| carrying a block 42 which may take the form of a magnetically polarized disc. Mounted upon this block is a rod 43 flattened and twisted as shown at 44, similar in all respects to reed I l.

Electric'al'means are provided for imparting oscillatory movement 'to the block 42. To this end a plurality of poles 45, 46, 41, 43 are arranged about the block 42, each being energized by a coil 45a, 46a, 41a, 48a. Coils Mia-41a are in series with a condenser 56, coils Mia-48a are also in series opposition and are in multiple with coils 45a,4la and condenser 56. The current whose frequency is to be measured is imposed upon this multiple circuit.

With the above construction, there occurs a periodic impulse in every vertical plane at a frequency equal to the frequency of the current to be measured. The reed responds only to the impulse in the plane'of its natural vibration at that frequency. 7

To facilitate reading the angle which may be made to read in terms of frequency, there is provided an upwardly extending arm 54 carrying a ring 55 concentric with the rod 43, and this ring may be provided with graduations 56.

With this construction, the frequency of the incoming current may be read directly upon the scales 56.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be'made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limiting sense. v

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said'to fall therebetween.

We claim: w

1. A vibrator comprising a base, a reed attached to said base having a flattened and twisted portion, means for imposing oscillatory energy to said base, and ascale adjacent to the free end of said reed constructed to read the angle of the plane of vibration of saidreed.

2. Means for "counting the frequency of a shaft or the like comprising a read constructed and arranged to vibrate in different planes with different frequencies of vibration, a base for supporting said reed, a shell having flexible means for supporting said base and enclosing said reed, an outstanding arm, andmeans upon said arm for engaging and being eccentrically rotated by a rotating member, and means upon said shell for estimating the angle of the plane of vibration of said reed.

3. A device of the characterv described for Incas-- uringfrequency comprising a base, a reed having a flattened and twisted portion extending upwardly from'said base, an input circuit, and electrical means operated by said input circuit for imparting mechanical impulses symmetrically disposed about the axis of the reed to the base of the reed,

, tion between said base portion andsaid vibrating portion'fsaidconnecting portion being flattened at at least two spaced points in different planes REFERENCES CITED thereby giving the reed t least two natural The following references are of record in the quencies of vibration, and electrical means confile of this patent:

structed and arranged to set said reed in vibration when actuated by a current having a fre- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS quency equal to the natural frequency of the Number Name Dat reed when vibratin about one of said flattened 602,453 Jones Apr. 19, 1898 points. 834,926 McGarvey Nov. 6, 1906 NILS OHMAN.

HAROLD J. VERITCH. 10 

